Rust Bucket vs Bufo Merge
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Rust Bucket
Embark on a turn-based dungeon crawl with simple swipe controls. Navigate treacherous environments, battle diverse monsters, and overcome deadly traps. This challenging game offers endless exploration and strategic combat, perfect for quick gaming sessions.
- Swipe to move and attack
- Fast-paced gameplay
- Puzzle traps
- Diverse monster types
- Endless dungeon exploration
- Strategic combat
- High score competition
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Rust Bucket is a turn based dungeon crawler that is built with mobile in mind. Swipe to take a step, swipe into enemies to attack. It’s as simple as that, but don’t be fooled into thinking this is a casual game! • Navigate using simple swipe to move controls. • Game play is fast and death is never far away so it’s perfect for your daily commute. • Puzzle your way past deadly traps or use them to catch enemies. • Many monster types, each with their own distinctive rules to overcome. • Make your way through the levels to become a fully qualified looter • Explore an endless dungeon, with more to discover the deeper you go. • Become a master of strategic combat and reach the top scoring dungeon rooms. • Compete against your friends high scores on Game Centre Important information! This game is funded by adverts but is completely free to play with no timers or boosters to ruin your experience. There is an option to remove popup ads for a one off In app purchase. *Please note that this does not remove Cross Promotion ads for other Nitrome games* We hope you enjoy our little game. If you do please consider giving us a nice review, tell your friends and maybe try some of our other games.
Bufo Merge
Combine frogs to create stronger units and defend your pond from enemy waves. Unlock 25 levels of amphibians, each with increased strength and fire rate, to survive increasingly challenging attacks. Enjoy addictive gameplay with charming pixel art.
- Merge frogs to create stronger units
- Defend pond from enemy waves
- Unlock 25 frog levels
- Use powerful boosts and power-ups
- Charming pixel art graphics
- Easy to learn, challenging to master
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Combine frogs to create stronger and more powerful units as you defend your pond from waves of invading enemies. Start from frog eggs and merge them to unlock 25 levels of powerful amphibians, each with increased strength and fire rate. The higher the level, the better your chances of survival! Features • Addictive merge gameplay • 25 frog levels to discover • Face off against challenging waves of enemies • Use powerful boosts and power-ups to turn the tide • Charming pixel art • Easy to play, hard to master
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Bufo Merge at none against Rust Bucket's 4. Bufo Merge also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 6 weeks). Rust Bucket's advantage is rating (4.0 vs 3.7) and ratings volume (177 vs 6). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Rust Bucket sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Bufo Merge asks for nothing beyond the download.
Rust Bucket holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rust Bucket has 177 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Rust Bucket's written reviews are positive against 60% of Bufo Merge's.
Rust Bucket ships an update every 6 weeks, Bufo Merge daily. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Rust Bucket | Bufo Merge |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (177 ratings) — better | 3.7 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 72.3% of reviews — better | 60.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 177 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Daily — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 105 MB | 18 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nitrome | Gionathan Pesaresi |
Customer experience
Rust Bucket
Bufo Merge
Bugs and requests
Rust Bucket
Reported bugs
4 issues- Progress reset when exiting levels
- Level select screen locking completed levels
- Compatibility issues on older devices
- Clipboard copying behavior
Requested features
5 requests- More levels and content updates
- Ability to save progress
- Weapon/item upgrades and customization
- Multiplayer or co-op mode
- Level editor
Bufo Merge
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Rust Bucket
- Buy 50 Coins$0.99
- Buy 200 Coins$1.99
- Remove Ads$3.99
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- Buy Coins 3$3.99
Bufo Merge
No in-app purchases









